..«=§%@### ###@%§=«..
.....«§##@ @##§«.....
..«=§%#@## ##@#%§=«..
......=§%@ @%§=......
.....=§§§# #§§§=.....
....««§#@# # «««««««««««««««««««« # #@#§««....
..«=§%#@## = The Wolf pool Exists = ##@#%§=«..
..«=§%#@## = In A Stale Timeline, = ##@#%§=«..
..«=§%#@## = Branched Way Back = ##@#%§=«..
..«=§%###@ = When Kirugu vargir = @###%§=«..
..«=§%#@@@ = Was Almost Barren, = @@@#%§=«..
..«=§%#@## Comprised Mostly Of Rock And Arid Soil, ##@#%§=«..
..«=§%#@## And Plants Were Only Starting To Grow, ##@#%§=«..
....««=§## = At All... = ##§=««....
.....==%%# # «««««««««««««««««««« # #%%==.....
¨-~*^@¶### ###¶@^*~-¨
,...~~$%§# Misplaced Explorers Traverse The #§%$~~...,
,^»/%%££## Landscape, Searching For A Way Back, ##££%%/»^,
.,,,.=*&@¶ Finding Instead Only Stone And Dirt And ¶@&*=.,,,.
¨.,¨¨~†§¤¤ Roots That Are As Hard As The Ground. ¤¤§†~¨¨,.¨
.,~*$*&£## It'S Getting Dark, They Are Thirsty, ##£&*$*~,.
.:~^*$#£@# And About To Find The Wolf pool. #@£#$*^~:.
¨-===&@@## ##@@&===-¨
¨-=;$%@@## ,#, ##@@%$;=-¨
,-,.-;%%@# #@%%;-.,-,
,:==^$£@## The Pool Lies In A Small Meteorite ##@£$^==:,
.¨¨,,=%££# Impact Crater, Sixty Meters Across. #££%=,,¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨~*£@£ It'S Surface Is Pitch Black And Even £@£*~¨¨¨¨¨
..«\§%£@## Though It'S Not Well Protected, It Is ##@£%§\«..
.:~/*£¤@@@ Undisturbed By Wind. @@@¤£*/~:.
,-=^=££¶@# #@¶££=^=-,
¨,~;^**=*¶ .#¨ ¶*=**^;~,¨
¨^»\=†^$$& &$$^†=\»^¨
¨~~^†$@¶@# As They Stumble On The Pool, The #@¶@$†^~~¨
¨.,,-^*#£& Explorers First Believe It To Be Water, &£#*^-,,.¨
.¨¨,»\*#§# Which Is Something They All Desire #§#*\»,¨¨.
,..,¨~=*@@ Greatly At This Point. They Fail To @@*=~¨,..,
......^%@# Notice That The Stars Do Not Reflect On #@%^......
.^-:*¤§### Its Surface. One Of Them Crouches To ###§¤*:-^.
,:=†%£@¶@@ Drink, Forms A Cup With His Hands, @@¶@£%†=:,
,--*§^%%## Lowers The Cup Into The Pool. ##%%^§*--,
.^~*=%&@## ##@&%=*~^.
¨-»==¤&£## He Tries To Resist At First, But Is Too ##£&¤==»-¨
.^=:*%§&¤& Close, And He Quickly Gives Up As The &¤&§%*:=^.
¨.=^%*§### Liquid Flows Into His Mind. The Others, ###§*%^=.¨
¨¨¨¨.~,-$& « Not Understanding The~Danger, Move &$-,~.¨¨¨¨
......¨»*# Closer To Help Their.Friend. #*»¨......
,,:,«$^*$¶ , - « : ¨ ¶$*^$«,:,,
.¨¨,,~%£ And¨Then.The,Pool¨Announces.Itself £#&%~,,¨¨.
¨.«;^&§### To,Them¨-,Sudden.-,Thoughts¨Of. ###§&^;«.¨
.~~;$£¤### ¨,«Dark~Wolves-,Climbing,Out,Of^~,« ###¤£$;~~.
.:=:=%§### -~~The~Pool,»Surrounding†Them/-^:/ ###§%=:=:.
,¨.,~~«†§¶ /Sudden;Thoughts†Of«~;Climbing\*§ ¶§†«~~,.¨,
,,.¨.¨~*§# Into*The/Pool,%Their%Thirst§Flaring$ #§*~¨.¨.,,
.¨,.»;@£ %^§Bright^-=$A*Sudden*%Awareness# #&£@;».,¨.
.¨..,,,;¤& #¤Of§&Exactly#@How¤They#Had£Traveled,$# &¤;,,,..¨.
.~=;**#@## #£Of£The@Way@Home¶@To@The@Time£From## ##@#**;=~.
.~»:†@@#@# ##Where#They@Came,#@@####And#Then#### #@#@@†:»~.
,--/%£@### #####The#Feeling#Of#This*Knowledge*~ ###@£%/--,
.¨,¨-,«:&£ -~Being = Stolen »~ From ~-» Them. . £&:«,-¨,¨.
.,.,:~»:†& «» , -~~ . ~¨ -» « &†:»~:,.,.
,.~=†&£### . -~ . . ###£&†=~.,
.^«^%§¤### , , . $ ###¤§%^«^.
,,»=^%## ###&%^=»,,
,¨,:;^$§££ .#. ££§$^;:,¨,
¨..~,-/$^@ @^$/-,~..¨
...¨..»§#@ And, @#§»..¨...
,..,¨~=;%@ @%;=~¨,..,
,-«=%£$£@£ Now The Reach Of The Pool Has Widened. £@£$£%=«-,
,,=†£### Now Its Wolves See Further. ####&£†=,,
.:==-%*££& &££*%-==:.
.-»;*$¤¶@# #@¶¤$*;»-.
¨¨.»-=*%£# #£%*=-».¨¨
,,«*$$#£@£ £@£#$$*«,,
,.:»=/^^£# #£^^/=»:.,